WNBA, Fever winning the numbers game as popularity soars

Indiana and rookie Caitlin Clark are leading the WNBA in total home and away game attendance, but the spike in Fever popularity goes miles beyond ticket sales.

At 11-15, the Fever begin the post-Olympics break in third place in the Eastern Conference and seventh overall. Still, there's a lot to celebrate in Indianapolis, where 186,000 fans have attended Fever home games compared to 230,000 at their road games, according to the team.

Ticket sales, the team said, are up 264.6 percent, season tickets are sold out, and Clark's popularity has no doubt helped the Fever grow corporate partnerships by 225 percent. Jersey sales are up 1,193 percent from 2023.

Fans that can't get tickets are still tuning in, with 38 national TV games featuring Indiana (another WNBA best) and record-setting ratings across the league.

"This is a fun team, on and off the court, and our staff has done an exceptional job at creating content that connects our growing fan base in new and innovative ways," said Todd Taylor, Pacers Sports &Entertainment president for business operations. "This is an important moment for our sport, our city and our state, and it is exciting to be able to share it with our fans at Gainbridge Fieldhouse and all over the world."

The annual midseason report for the Fever placed the rise in interest around the franchise since Clark was drafted on April 15 in big, round numbers.

For example, with 800 million total views on social media, the Fever ranked No 1 in the WNBA and ahead of all NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL teams from April to July, when the WNBA took an extended break for the 2024 Paris Games.

The Fever experienced a "10-fold increase in fan interactions" on the team website and mobile app, and went from 500,000 followers to a league-best 1.8 million followers since April 15.

And when fans buy tickets to games in Indy, they're raising a glass to Clark and the home team. Draft beer sales, equating to 2,826 gallons, saw an increase of 740 percent, and in-stadium team store sales records have been set four times in the first half of the season.

REUTERS